clarity and sharpness define turning points, but the day in day out grooves get worn and gray and dull…..we become detached, uninspired, complacent……the long haul of curiosity and fresh spirit call us from the deep sometimes…..

As our heart transforms suffering into compassion, we experience being both the holder of our sorrows and the vulnerable one who is being held. Through mindful prayer I found how holding and being held unfold into a compassion that transcends all sense of separation. Both the holder and the held dissolve into loving awareness. When we understand our pain as an intrinsic gateway to compassion, we begin to awaken from the imprisoning story of a suffering self. In the moments when we tenderly hold our anger, for instance, we cut through our identity as an angry self. The anger no longer feels like a personal flaw or an oppressive burden. We begin to see its universal nature- it’s not our anger, it is not our pain. Everyone lives with anger, with fear, with grief. ~Tara Brach